Sunday, March 17, 2013

Jamaat – Shibir not involved with temple vandalism in Lakhsmipur

News reports published by some
media accusing Jamaat-Shibir of setting fire to Hindu temples at Camperhaat
area at Ababil union of Raipur upazila in Lakhsmipur under cover of darkness on
the 28th of February are false. A temple executive committee
president and members of the Hindu community have confirmed the above statement
and protested such news reports. The two temples mentioned are Shree Shree
Harichand Guruchand Thakur temple and Swami Vivekanand Sriti Sheva Asram Radha
Govind temple.

Residents in the area say a
conflict of interest had been prevalent in the executive committee regarding
the two temples which stand side by side.On the 28th of February, the bamboo fence surrounding Radha
Govind Temple was set on fire by unidentified miscreants. The bamboo fence got
burnt and although a few bales dry straw situated near the Harichand Guruchand
Thakur temple caught fire, the main temple building remained intact and
unharmed.The temple committee filed a
case at the Raipur police station in this regard. No person was accused as per
details of the case. This incident was exploited by vested quarters through
using news and print media to spread false propaganda in order to associate
Jamaat Shibir with such attacks.

Recently Hindu leaders have
officially protested news associating Jamaat-Shibir with such attacks, saying
that vested quarters used the incident to their benefit through media
manipulation. They however said that neither did they know who were behind such
media manipulation nor had they given any information regarding any
Jamaat-Shibir involvement in such attacks. More than a hundred Hindu citizens
including Radha Govind templeexecutive committee president
Nitya Gopal Majumder, Harichand Guruchand Thakur temple executive committeeGeneral Secretary Babu Sudev Majumder, local Hindu community leader
Taponeshwar Kirtoniya and Balram Majumder were present while voicing such
concerns.

Upazila executive official Dulal
Chandra confirmed to investigating journalists that nobody had seen the
miscreants who had carried out such cowardly attacks and keeping in line with
this fact, the case filed by the Hindu leaders did not name anybody in this
regard.He also said that it had come
to his attention that some media had published news associating Jamaat - Shibir
with such attacks. This, he said, had been the source of a lot of confusion
among the general populace.

Raipur police station OC has
expressed his hope to the Naya Diganta that police investigation would uncover
those responsible for such criminal acts. He confirmed that no political links
to the incident had been uncovered yet. He also reiterated the statements made
by local Hindu leaders, confirming that no names had been mentioned in the case
filed by the aggrieved, let alone names of any Jamaat - Shibir activists.